INDICATOR CROPS

INDICATOR CROPS
    • Some of the crops are known to be specific for the occurrence of symptoms of a particular deficient nutrient element exhibiting characteristic symptoms.
    • Such crops are called as Indicator Crops for the deficiency of that particular element(s).
    • This is mainly due to the greater demand of the element in the respective Indicator Crops.

    Some of the Indicator Crops are furnished in the following Table along with the elements

    Table: Indicator plants for deficiencies of some nutrients

    Nutrient Element

    Indicator Crop

    Nitrogen

    Cereals like, maize, sorghum and pulses

    Phosphorus

    Tomato, maize, cereals, Leucerne

    Potassium

    Potato, banana, cotton, Leucerne

    Magnesium

    Cotton (leaf reddening)

    Zinc

    Maize, paddy (“khaira” disease), citrus, beans

    Sulphur

    Cereals, leucerne, tea (yellowing)

    Copper

    Citrus, cereals

    Iron

    Sugarcane, sorghum, citrus, ornamental plants

    Manganese

    Citrus, sunflower, sugarbeet

    Calcium

    Cauliflower, tomato (blossom end rot of fruits), sugarbeet

    Molybdenum

    Cauliflower (whiptail)

Last modified: Wednesday, 6 June 2012, 5:24 PM